Word Tree from General Conference October 2014: Promises

My wife, Lisa, attended a women's conference a few weeks ago where Carole M. Stephens, first counselor in the general Relief Society presidency spoke. One of her admonitions was to search through the latest general conference and mark where mentions were made of promises. My wife mentioned that she thought this would be a great idea, and was excited to pull out a red pencil and the latest paper copy of the Ensign. Now, there is no substitute for reading through conference messages carefully with a red pencil. But, I suggested we could also try it in a high tech way to more quickly focus on the desired quotations.

Below you can find two word trees (see past blog post) using the word promise. The first one uses promise on the right hand side and collects all the words preceding promise. The second uses promise on the left-hand side and collects all the words following promise. On top of each quote we added the name of the speaker.

We found the promises that had the words "I promise" to be particularly insightful. There were three instances of this in the last general conference:

#1--Let us acknowledge that most often gaining a testimony is not a task of a minute, an hour, or a day. It is not once and done. The process of gathering spiritual light is the quest of a lifetime. Your testimony of the living Son of God and His restored Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, may not come as quickly as you desire, but I promise you this: if you do your part, it will come. And it will be glorious. (Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

#2--I bear witness of the miracles, both spiritual and temporal, that come to those who live the law of the fast. I bear witness of the miracles that have come to me. Truly, as Isaiah recorded, I have cried out in the fast more than once, and truly God has responded, “Here I am.”¹⁷ Cherish that sacred privilege at least monthly, and be as generous as circumstances permit in your fast offering and other humanitarian, educational, and missionary contributions. I promise that God will be generous to you, and those who find relief at your hand will call your name blessed forever.  (Are We Not All Beggars?, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland)

#3--Elder David A. Bednar has promised: “I invite the young people of the Church to learn about and experience the Spirit of Elijah. … I promise [that] you will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary. As you participate in and love this holy work, you will be safeguarded in your youth and throughout your lives.” (The Book, Elder Allan F. Packer, quoting Elder David A. Bednar)

In addition to the promises given above, some of the other promises include:

• The promise of peace to all who accept & follow Christ (The Reason for Our Hope, Elder Boyd K. Packer)
• Receiving in the temple "the promise which [He gives] unto [us] of eternal life, even the glory of the celestial kingdom." (Continuing Revelation, President Henry B. Eyring)
• The promise of being spiritually strengthened through taking the sacrament and taking upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ (The Sacrament--A Renewal for the Soul, Cheryl A. Esplin)
• The promise of peace from scripture study (Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority, Elder Richard G. Scott)